NASCAR

SPEED To Broadcast NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Event At New Hampshire On Race Day

Bristol Success Prompts Second Same-Day TV Coverage

NASCAR

Friday, September 11, 2009

NASCAR announced today that the New Hampshire 100 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race will be broadcast same-day on SPEED on Saturday, Sept. 19.

SPEED carried the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour's combination race at Bristol Motor Speedway same-day on Aug. 19 to favorable ratings, which prompted the auto racing network to follow a similar format for the upcoming event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. With the announcement of same-day coverage, the broadcast will begin at 1 p.m. on a 15-minute tape delay.

"One of the most passionate fan bases in the sport was illustrated with the ratings from the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Bristol," said George Silbermann, NASCAR managing director of racing operations. "In response to the success of the Bristol broadcast, SPEED made the decision to show the New Hampshire 100 same-day instead of on a tape-delayed basis, as originally planned. We think that's great news for our fans."

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has a storied history of producing an exciting brand of racing at the "Magic Mile" in Loudon, N.H. The Tour's date there last June provided a hair-raising last-lap battle for the win and the 2008 June race was the closest in history at .001 seconds. The upcoming New Hampshire 100 marks the tour's 50th appearance at the track. Defending New Hampshire 100 and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion Ted Christopher will bring a slim 34-point lead in the season standings to Loudon. Todd Szegedy is second in points while June New Hampshire winner Donny Lia is third and is coming off two straight wins.

The New Hampshire 100 was originally scheduled to take the green flag at 1 p.m., but with the new broadcast time the event will now start at 12:45 p.m.